My inspiration

This quote from Facebook is part of the inspiration for this blog.  As I have mentioned, I want to change the world. I am realizing what a difficult task that is here in the middle of America – with no power, no money, and no influence. But what I can do is tell the stories of the people I serve. They are real people who are working and trying to live the American dream in a time and place that seems to have been passed by.

The need for healthcare appears so basic that it doesn’t seem possible that it could generate so much debate. I am pretty sure that those debating the question have never gone without healthcare – most of which is provided by someone other than themselves. Our legislators have tremendous healthcare – which we are paying for. Those in business and industry often have healthcare provided by their employer. It is the small business owner, the self-employed and those working at minimum wage jobs who are the most likely to be uninsured.

We had a patient in here this week who is working 40 hours a week, his wife has two jobs, and they have no healthcare insurance. He needed prescriptions for his medications. He could afford his medications, but could not afford the doctor’s visit to get them written.

Their story is not unusual. The population we take care of includes many who are employed. There are some who are disabled, and have no insurance. Did you know that once someone is determined to be disabled that they do not qualify for Medicare for two years? What kind of sense does that make?

Our healthcare system is so broken. And a free clinic in the basement of a church is really not the answer to our healthcare crisis. What we need is access to affordable healthcare for ALL Americans.